Why Are There So Many Denominations In The Church

[RdJ]

Oh look it's in a video:

 

[Neighbor]

2 hours ago, RdJ said:

Oh look it's in a video:

 

Again  it appears to be a declaration of a total without substantiation of the number. One can repeat the number from sources that repeat the number, yet that does not provide any substantiation of that number.

The statement may sound official, but where is the documentation of even the 300 major ecclesiastical traditions, never mind the 33,000  distinct denominations, or even 238 countries?

Course the real importance of the number is suspect in the first place, since there is but one body. There is unity  in even the diversity: "For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.  For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many."

May we agree that  the diversity of members may apply to  the number of what is called denominations? All being members of one body? Or must unity be feared as in fearing ecumenical unity movements?

Personally I find more that binds than that which separates. Yet  starting as early as the time the Holy Spirit gave reveal of Jesus to John by way of an angel there was serious falling away of (some) churches from even the basic love of  Jesus.That love being over shadowed by  the doing of good works. Worshipping works, or the creation  so to speak, rather than the creator that the works originally were to honor.

So regardless of variations and understandings, it seems to me that holding fast to "the first love" is what is paramount. And with that I can embrace and hopefully be embraced by brethren of every "ilk" that does that.

 

[warrior12]

I think who ever came up with that figure is using the naming convention of churches Associated with denomination and then claiming them to be a separate denomination.

Example, you might see a church title as  "The high mountain deliverance temple", [ that is just a made up name I used] which is really a part of  on of the divided Pentecostal denomination and claiming its a totally different and completely different denomination.    

The USA, has 200 denomination and the rest of the world would total 44800 denominations, just does not make sense to me at least.

[RdJ]

3 hours ago, warrior12 said:

I think who ever came up with that figure is using the naming convention of churches Associated with denomination and then claiming them to be a separate denomination.

Example, you might see a church title as  "The high mountain deliverance temple", [ that is just a made up name I used] which is really a part of  on of the divided Pentecostal denomination and claiming its a totally different and completely different denomination.    

The USA, has 200 denomination and the rest of the world would total 44800 denominations, just does not make sense to me at least.

That guy from the video said that a guy who was a missionary for the Anglican church wrote an encyclopedia. He wanted to list every human in the world by their religion or denomination. There were about 8990 people groups x 7010 languages. If the Anglican church is in 100 countries it's counted as 100 denominations. So the number is just wrong.

Edited June 21, 2024 by RdJ

[Charlie1988]

12 hours ago, RdJ said:

What? Really? Oh then it's not so bad that churches here have to pay taxes. As long as you don't preach the same as a witch we had that you may not go to the doctor it's fine or an American pastor with a church in Holland said at the pulpit that you should not spare the rod and beat your kids, so the church said that to the police and he was in trouble or once there was one who said the holocaust was God's punishment. But for the rest yes there are churches that let gays preach but that's their own choice. It has nothing to do with the government. You may preach that it's sin. You may refuse to marry people in church, because they can always marry for the govt and in church it's just a blessing, but not that they can get you legally married.

A Church should never have to pay tax, as it's not supposed to be a business. The Church is there to provide welfare support to widows, orphans and others who can't provide for themselves. 

The Church and State should remain separate, the State is there to punish the evil doer and run the economy. The Church is there to teach people about God. Man doesn't get to choose what a Church can and can't do, God already gave us clear instructions on how a Church is to function. 

It doesn't matter what we think or what the Government thinks the Church should do. The only thing that matters is what God wants. I would say that the majority of Churches are nothing more than self deluded organizations. God rejects their worship and He doesn't even recognize them as valid Churches.  

[Charlie1988]

12 hours ago, Vine Abider said:

I suspect that just like with dogs, perhaps the best/healthiest pedigree of a Christian group is that of "mutt," at least that's my thinking.  That is, having people with a wide variety of backgrounds, who come together just to be one in Christ, is beneficial.  This way there is a wide diversity of appreciation of what the Lord can do to make us one body in Him - I enjoy hearing about how this one was in a more legal background or that one was in a highly liberal group - Jesus saves everyone from all areas to be one in Him!

My Pastor doesn't allow us to attend any events where people from Non Reformed Churches will be present. His view is that we are not to have fellowship, with Churches who hold to different systems of theology. 

He teaches that there is only one church (the Body of Christ), and he considers certain Denominations as being outside the Body of Christ due to what they believe, that being contrary to what the Bible teaches.  

[RdJ]

3 hours ago, Charlie1988 said:

A Church should never have to pay tax, as it's not supposed to be a business. The Church is there to provide welfare support to widows, orphans and others who can't provide for themselves. 

No wait. Sorry. They don't have to, but only the pastor has to pay taxes if he gets an income from it. The rest just gets an income from the government here.

Edited June 22, 2024 by RdJ

[Marilyn C]

On 6/20/2024 at 12:57 PM, Charlie1988 said:

There's an estimated 45,000 Christian Denominations in the world today. 

 

Hi Charlie,

At first the denominations were to stand for the truth the Holy Spirit had clarified - eg. Lutheran, Baptist, methodist, Salvation Army, Pentecostal, Apostolic.

In the 1960s the charismatic revival came and believers of main line denominations received the infilling of the Holy Spirit, but they did not have to leave their denomination. This was good however, there was an undue emphasis on the Holy Spirit and believers started to look to the Holy Spirit instead of Christ the Head. 

Thus, believers became vulnerable to any spirit who masqueraded as an angel of light. Many believers couldn`t tell the difference and were being `guided` by demonic influences. Many of those who desired to be leaders started nondenominational groups and taught out of their faulty theology. They had no council of others to really guide them. 

Then we had the `so-called` revivals - Toronto, Brownville etc which had kundalini spirits operating making people jerk and do silly things. Vulnerable people came from all over the world and were thus `infected,` and took back to their groups these demonic spirits. Believers thought that any jerking and movement was the Holy Spirit, (not at all Holy) and thus entered in and desired more.

Bethal organization emphasizes these strange movements and people flock there to receive, thinking it is the presence of the Lord. This is spreading throughout most denominations and non-denominations. 

Christ, the Head of the Body has by His Holy Spirit warned us as we come to the unity of the faith....

`That we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the Head - Christ...` (Eph. 4: 14 & 15)

 

 

[Michael37]

4 hours ago, Charlie1988 said:

My Pastor doesn't allow us to attend any events where people from Non Reformed Churches will be present. His view is that we are not to have fellowship, with Churches who hold to different systems of theology. 

He teaches that there is only one church (the Body of Christ), and he considers certain Denominations as being outside the Body of Christ due to what they believe, that being contrary to what the Bible teaches.  

So should you be mixing with those of us here who do not align with Reformed Theology?

[Neighbor]

1 hour ago, RdJ said:

but only the pastor has to pay taxes if he gets an income from it.

Well of course. 

Can't imagine ( In the USA) employees of  churches or non profit organizations not having to pay  income tax state and federal on their wages paid them. They sure are going to want the benefits of unemployment,  disability, health,   and government retirement programs.

They are going to want the community benefits of paved roads,  police and fire departments, and so on. They too  need pay up and feel the pain of paying to Caesar what is Caesar's.

The church leaders I have known have always advocated  being completely  honest with government authorities in the way one pays taxes. As to their compensation, shame on any local body that violates the adage that a worker is worth his wage.